t-4891. Google led me to the thread where my issue was being discussed. So I registered and am now recognized by TS. However, when logged in on thread t-4891, I can find no indication of how to join the discussion. I feel myself standing on the platform while the train just goes on by.

I have samphire's issue. I want to take an existing HD of four NTFS partitions t-4891 XPPro SP2 and reduce it to two NTFS partitions. I contacted MS. They directed me to their WIN 95 and WIN 98 instructions, which are bogus--as your comments indicate (I suspect because those are DOS based systems.)

I know I can run XP Setup and wait on the phone with MS to confess to them what I am doing so that I can get a new password to use the software I own and paid for and am using in a legitimate fashion--but needs their approval.

I cannot figure out how to use XP File Management to merge existing partitions. It will let me convert partitions to Free Space or to New Volumes but it will not span those to an existing partition.

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If you can advise me, I will have some confidence in this forum. As a mere user of software to do my work, I find that techies who spend their lives in front of a pc seem to assume that is what the whole rest of the world wants to do--OK, maybe it is unfair to generalize from what MS does to me--But how do you explain the MS techie sending me to a MS document (yes, their knowledgebase refers the techie to that document; so god has spoken?) that applies to DOS based systems rather than NT?

Isn't the quick reply text-box available at the bottom of the page ? Or a "Post Reply" button ?

This thread screen seems to have all the necessary opportunities. But even after I had logged on and returned to the other thread already referred to, nothing familiar appeared. I clicked "read with formatting" and there was no change. So I assumed that somehow the thread was now closed, locked, sealed.

So how about telling me how XP File Mangement will merge existing partitions?

Well it is possible that the thread was closed either because the original question was answered or maybe because the discussion was steering more & more away from the original subject.

Do not let that stop you from creating a new thread of your own in the proper forum to ask about your problem.

OK. Now that I am communicating, I have moved my inquiry over to Windows OS. Thanks for your help.